Impelling mechanism for conveyances.



B. F. SEYMOUR. IMPELLING MECHANISM FOR GONVEYANGES. APBLIOATION FILEDDEO.21,1907.

920, 191 Patented May 4, 1909.

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IMPELLING MEOHANISM FOR CONVEYANGESI APPLICATION FILED DBO.21,190'I.

v 920, 191 Patented May 4, 1909.

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IMPBLLINGMECEHANISM FOR OONVEYANUES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21, 1907.

920, 1 9 1 Patented May 4, 1909.

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INVENTOR. B F. 6 e ym our? STATES UNITED BENJAMIN F. SEYMOUR,

PATENT ornron OF DENVER, COLORADO.

IMPE LLING ME CHAN ISM FOR C ONVE YANCES Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented May 4., 1909. 2 1, 1907. Serial No. 407,464.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMlN F. SEY- MODE, a citizen of the UnitedStates of America, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and Stateof Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inImpelling Mechanism for conveyances, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates'to certain new and useful improvements in impellingmechanisms for conveyances and its object is to pro vide a mechanism inwhich simplicity of construction and operation is combined with thoroughracticability in use and by means of which the movement of a conveyancemay be reversed or stopped at any desired point within predeterminedlimits without reversal or cessation of the movement of the actuat ingelement.

My invention is particularly adapted for use in connection withelevators, mine cages, inclined or horizontal tram roads, hoists andother contrivances of the class in which a carrier has a linear,intermittent movement in either direction between predeterminedterminals.

1. attain the above named object by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in the various views of which like parts aresimilarly designated and in which Figure 1 represents a sectional viewof a vertically moving elevator, operated by my improved mechanism, Fig.2 a fragmentary view of a similar device actuated by two shafts, mountedto act in unison, Fig. 3a fragmentary elevation of my improved mechanismin connection with a conveyance moving in an inclined plane, Fig.-4 asimilar view of the mechanism as applied to the suspended carrier of ahorizontal tram road, Fig. 5 an enlarged vertical section through thevertical shaft illustrated in Fig.

1 and the upper feed nut connected with the cage, Fig. 6 a similar view,showing the said nut in its unlocked condition, Fig. 7- an enlargedfragmentary elevation of the shaft and feed nut looking in the directionof the arrow 7, Fig. 1, Fig. S an enlarged horizontal section takenalong the line 88, Fig. 1, Fig. 9 a fragmentary elevation of the shaftemployed in my invention showing the relative shapes and positions ofthe detents engaged therewith, and Fig. 10 a fragmentary horizontalsection taken along a line 1010, Fig. 2.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 1, let the reference character 2designate the elevator shaft or well of a building or other structureand 3 the therein movable cage or carrier. Revolubly mounted in centralrelation to the shaft and extending through openings in the top andbottom of the cage, is a vertical shaft 1, the lower extremity of whichis supported in a step 5, while its opposite end projects into asuitable journal box 6, disposed at the upper ortion of the well 2. Theshaft 4 is former in its peripheral surface with two grooves 7, windingspirally in opposite directions between points in adjacency to itsextremities and is provided with a bevel gear wheel 8, into which meshesa cooperative wheel 9, at the end of a hori zontal shaft 10, which mayconnect by any desired means with a conveniently located motor orengine. The rotary movement of the shaft is transposed into a verticalmovement of the cage 1n either direction, through instrumentality of twocylindrical nuts 12 and 13, which encircling the shaft, cooperativelysustain the cage. The upper one, 12, of the nuts is, to this end,provided at its lower extremity with an annular groove 14- into whichprojects a correspondingly shaped flange 15 on the upper portion of thecage, while the lower nut, 13, merely engages with its enlarged end, thelower surface of the bottom of the cage. It will be understood that, tolessen the friction between the engaging surfaces of the last namedparts, a suitable anti-friction ap liance such as a roller bearing maybe emp oyed.

With the exception of their extreme portions which engage the cage, thetwo nuts 12 and 13 are identical and the following description of theconstruction of the therewith associated parts will therefore reflectnot only on the one as well as on the other but also on the nuts formingpart of the impelling mechanism as arranged in the modiied methods ofapplication illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings. .Each nutor sleeve is provided in its peripheral surface with diametricallyopposite sockets 16, adapted to receive the heads 17 of detents 17, theop osite ends of which project continually tirough correspondinglyshaped openings 18 in the bottom surface of the sockets and normallyinto the two spiral grooves 7 in the shaft 4. Spiral springs 19encircling the detents in engagement with the op osed surfaces of theheads 17 and the soc kets into which they project, are applied to forcethe respective detents outwardly free from engagement with the grooves7, when their heads which normally are engaged by a depressing element,are released from contact therewith. The ele ment referred to consistsof a collar 20 which encircling the shaft, is connected with thelatterby means of screws or pins 21, which being secured incorresponding openings in the peripheral surface of the nut, projectthrough laterally extending slots 22 in lugs 23 on the collar and whichthus permit limited lateral movement of the collar on the nut inopposite direc ions while causing it to rotate therewith. The collar 20is further.- more provided with laterally ranging wings 24 which extendalong the surface of the nut in opposite directions at the points of thecollar where its internal surface engages the heads of the detents 17and the function of the said wings is to prevent simultaneousdisengagement of the adjustable element with both the detents when it ismoved into one or the. other of its extreme positions.

To adjust the position of the collar from the inside of the cage, theformer is provided with a circumferential, annular depression 25, toprovide a seat for a ring 26 which connects by means of therewithintegral trunnions 27, with the bifurcated extremity of a lever 28fulcrumed upon a stationary support 29 on the cage, to move abouthorizontal axis. The ring 26 is provided with oppositely and laterallyextending fingers 3O oneof which engages, while the collar is in eitherof its extreme positions, one of two lugs 31 upon the circumferentialsurface of the nut, for the purpose of holding the latter againstrotation with the shaft. The outer extremities of each of the two levers28, which respectively connect with the collars on the nuts above andbelow the cage, are connected by means of rods and links 33 withoppositely ranging arms 34 on a rocker shaft 35 which being revolublymounted in bearings 36 on the inside of the cage, may be manipulated bymeans of a therewith associated hand wneel 37.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 2, the cage 38 moves intermediate twovertical shafts 39 each identical to the one shown in Fig. 1 and mountedto move in unison by means of beveled gears 40 at one of theirextremities which mesh into corresponding gears 41 upon a commonpowershaft 42. The shafts in this instance, act as guides for the ca eduring its vertical movementsas is clearly shown in Fig. 10 and the nuts48 engage collars 46 which extending from the cage, loosely encircle theshafts. The two bifurcated levers which connect with the adjustablecollars 44, are slotted at their extremities and engage with aconnecting rod 47, the upper extremity of which connects with the arm 48of a rocker shaft 49. mounted within the cage and manipulated by thehand wheel 50.

in the inclined tramroad illustrated in i 3, the shaft 51 is mounted inbearings 52 to rotate about an inclined axis; and the conveyance 53 maybe supported upon wheels 54 or guided in any other desired manner; itbeing arranged in superposed relation to the shaft and having dependingcollars 55, loosely encircling the latter and operatively engaged by tio nuts The bifurcated levers 57 fulcrumcd 5S and connect with the rockshaft 59 by i ans of rods 60.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a conveyance 61 movably suspended from a guiderail 62 by means of wheels 63. The spirally grooved shaft 64 is mountedto rotateabout a horizontal axis interme ciate the full and the cage andthe nuts 65 engage collars which surround the shaft as in the precedingform. The forked levers 67, fulcrumed at 68 connect by means of rods 69with the rock shaft 70.

It will be understood tiat in the form illustrated in 1, either theupper or lower nut may be dispensed with in case the service for whichthe elevator is intended, is such as to require little strength of thesustaining element, and that in each of the forms illustrated thearrangement of the various elements and the construction of thesubordinate parts may varied within th spirit of my invention and thatin its bro-a aspects, the present invention may be embodied. in variousother forms.

Having thus described the mechanical construction of my invention, itsoperation is as follows :Refcrring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, thespirally grooved shaft 4, while the mechanism is in operation, revolvescontinuously in one direction, by action of the therewith associatedpower shaft 10 and, assuming that the various adjustable parts connectedwith the nuts 12 and 13 are in their normal positions, the latter willrotate with the shaft, and thus retain the cage 8 in its adjustedposition. it hen the above ferred to parts are in their normal position,the collar 20 is in its central position as i 1 trated in Figs. 5 and 7and the two de V t 17 being depressed by contact th: ewith, project intothe respective spiral grooves 7 and thus lock the nut with which theyare associated, upon the shaft. T o impel the nuts and the the ewithconnected c veyance in either direction, moved by manipthe collars 20into one of their extreme positions ulation of the hand wheel 37 and thelever mechanism, as is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. This motionreleases one of the detents in each of the nuts which by action of thespiral spring, is at once withdrawn from contact with the spiral grooveinto which it projected, while the opposite detent is retained in itsoriginal position by Contact with the adjacent wing 24 on the collar.The nuts are simultaneously locked against rotation with the shaft bythe engagement of one of the fingers 30 on the non-rotative ring 26 withthe respective lug 31 with the result that by the action of the spiralway upon the thereinto projecting detents the rotary movement of theshaft is transposed into a vertical movement of the two nuts which inconsequence, im oi the therewith connected cage to move in t e samedirection until they are once more locked against vertical displacementby returning the collar to its original position, which by engagement ofthe latter with the inclined upper surface of the head 17 a of theoutwardly projecting detent 17, causes the latter to resume its normalposition in the respective groove 7. To maintain the detent in theirrespective grooves while assing the latters points of intersection, teir extremities have been shaped in conformity with the grooves intowhich they project as is clearly shown in Fig. 9.

The operation of the devices illustrated. in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 beingsimilar to that of the elevator shown in Fig. 1, further explanationwill not be necessary.

Having thus described my invention what I desire to secure by LettersPatent is 1- 1. The combination with a carrier of an impelling elementmounted to revolve in one direction, a member engaging the carrier andcooperative means upon the said element and the said member adapted toimpel the latter longitudinally in relation to the other in eitherdirection and to lock the said member upon the said element at any pointwithin predetermined limits.

2. In combination, a revoluble element having peripheral guide wayswinding spirally in opposite directions within common limits, a carriermovable in a direction parallel to the said element, a member engagingthe carrier, detents associated with the said member and normallyengaging the said ways simultaneously, and means to withdraw either ofthe said deten ts from contact with its respective way.

3. The combination with a carrier of a revoluble element havingperipheral guideways winding spirally in opposite directions withincommon limits, a member connected with the carrier, detents associatedwith the said member and normally engaging the said ways, and means towithdraw either of thesald detents from contact with its respective wayand to simultaneously lock the said member against rotation with thesaid element.

4. In combination, a revoluble element having peripheral guide wayswinding spirally in opposite directions within common limits, a carriermounted to move in a direction parallel to the said element, a nut uponthe said element engaging the carrier and operatively engaging both wayssimultaneously and means to disengage the said nut separately fromeither of the ways.

5. The combination with a carrier of a revoluble element havingperipheral guideways winding spirally in opposite directions withincommon limits, a nut upon the said element, connected with the carrierand operatively engaging both ways and means to disengage the said nutfrom either of the ways, and to simultaneously lock it against rotationwith the shaft.

6. The combination with a carrier of a revoluble element havingperipheral guideways winding spirally in opposite directions withincommon limits, a nut encircling the element, detents resilientlyconnected with the nut, normally engaging the said ways, and a memberhaving a limited movement upon the nut adapted to maintain the dctentsin their normal position and to release either of them, when in anextreme position.

7. The combination with a carrier of a revoluble element havingperipheral guideways winding spirally in opposite directions withincommon limits, a nut encircling the element, detents resilientlyconnected with the nut, normally engaging the said ways, a collar havinga limited lateral movement upon the nut, adapted to maintain the detents in their normal position and to release either one of them when inextreme position and a non-rotative member associated with the saidcollar and mounted to move it in either direction.

8. The combination with a carrier of a revoluble element havingperipheral guideways winding spirally in opposite directions withincommon limits, a nut encircling the element, dctents resilientlyconnected with the nut, normally engaging the said ways, a collar havinga limited lateral movement upon the nut, adapted to maintain the detentsin their normal position and to release either one of them when inextreme position and a non-rotative member associated with the saidcollar, and mounted to move it in either direction and adapted to lockthe nut against rotation with the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have a'llixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

BENJAMIN F. SE1 MOUlt.

Witnesses G. J ROLLANDET, K. M. STUMP.

